Our Love
by terrablaze
Summary: Seven prompts, seven stories between Kakashi and Sakura. Beach scene, long hair, lazy summer days, relationship reactions, death scene, butterfly kisses, relief after war. Written for KakaSaku Week 2013
1. Her Answer

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's my fic for KakaSaku week day one! Hope you enjoy it! The prompt was a scene after the NS ending 10, My Answer, and I really like the song, so I kind of wanted to use the theme of some of the lyrics in here. Only problem? I don't speak Japanese, and the only subtitled version of the song I was able to find was in Spanish. Now that wouldn't have been a problem three years ago, when I was still somewhat fluent in the language, but I haven't spoken it or really interacted with it in three years, so I'm a little rusty. Still, I think I got the gist, but if something seems totally wrong, blame it on my inability to listen to a song in Japanese, read it in Spanish, and think the words in English :D Enjoy reading!**

Her Answer

Sakura hugged her arms tighter around herself as a sudden gust of wind blew up from the ocean. The sun would be setting within the hour, so it was starting to get cold at the beach, and her red bikini wasn't going to cut it once it did set.

She looked over to where Tenten was playing Frisbee with the boys. Neji, she noticed, was standing off to the side, feigning indifference, but anyone with half a brain—in other words, the girls of the Konoha 12 and Shikamaru—knew he was secretly watching the weapons master. Everyone except for Tenten and Neji seemed to know Tenten and Neji were in love. But it was only a matter of time before they figured it out.

Sure enough, Tenten dove for the Frisbee, but she missed and lost her footing in the loose sand, falling to the ground. Neji moved quickly, catching her arm and pulling her up against his side. He held on to her for a few seconds longer than necessary before letting her go. Tenten moved to thank him, and Sakura looked away, not wanting to intrude on their moment, even though she knew the rest of the guys—or at least Lee—would anyway.

Shikamaru was leaning up against a building, acting aloof just as Neji had been doing, but the pink-haired medic wasn't fooled. She knew he and Temari of the Sand had secretly been sneaking glances at each other the whole day, but with her two brothers nearby, they hadn't been able to see each other.

Naruto had been hanging on Iruka-sensei all day, spending some quality time with the man he considered like a father, and Iruka had clearly enjoyed spending time with his favorite blonde-haired idiot. Ino and Hinata were always nearby. Ino was determined to help Hinata get over her fear of talking to Naruto.

Even Tsunade-sama was enjoying the coupling off, still out bathing in the water where she _knew _Jiraiya could see her. Sakura rolled her eyes at the expression on the white-haired sannin's face when he saw his former teammate shaking her hair as she came up out of the water. Tsunade had him wrapped around her thumb.

Sakura sighed, grabbing a soda and walking along the beach in the opposite direction from the others, feeling like she wasn't really a part of the group. She had been helping Ino and Hinata out earlier, but she'd left as soon as she heard Ino mention that Iruka-sensei didn't look too bad in his swimsuit, and she was surprised to see he had a pretty nice six-pack.

_That _was a conversation Sakura had felt no need to be a part of, and she wasn't really into the whole romance thing that day anyway.

Tsunade-sama had decided that they should all have a nice vacation now that she had recovered. It would help them take their mind off things, she'd said.

Sakura knew she meant well, and she _had _had fun during the day, but the closer it got to night, the more Sakura remembered.

It was the anniversary of the day Sasuke had left the village when they were genin, knocking her out and leaving her on the bench. He'd told her 'thank you' then, and she'd held out hope, but now he'd tried to kill her twice, and she would be dead for sure if it hadn't been for Kakashi-sensei and Naruto.

_Kakashi. _

She hadn't seen him much that day. He'd come along, like everyone else, but aside from some conversation with Jiraiya about his books, he'd kept his nose buried in one almost all day.

She wondered where he was now. She knew he would remember what day it was too, and she knew he would feel just as bad as she would—maybe even worse. Sakura knew her silver-haired team leader still felt responsible for Sasuke, his former student.

Sakura wondered, nor for the first time that day, if she could have done anything differently that night, if she could have somehow prevented Sasuke from leaving. She didn't love him anymore—her heart was something she now kept closely guarded—but that didn't mean she didn't still care about her old teammate. They all did, even Kakashi-sensei, even if he didn't always show it like her and Naruto.

Kakashi-sensei. She was back to him again.

The man was something of a mystery to her still. She looked up to him during her genin days, and admired everything about him—even his habit of reading Jiraiya's porn in public. He marched to the beat of his own drum, and had the confidence to pull it off, something Sakura had been sorely lacking in until her training with Tsunade-sama.

But she still had so many questions. Questions about her skills, her life, her worth as a kunoichi. Even though she was the apprentice to the Hokage, even though she could crush a building with her bare hands, Sakura still doubted herself sometimes.

"You're thinking too hard. This is supposed to be a vacation."

The light voice stirred her out of her thoughts, and brought her back to reality.

"You're one to talk, Kakashi-sensei."

The man smiled, and Sakura was somewhat dismayed to find that he'd put his mask back on. He'd had it off earlier in the day, but he'd kept his dumb book over his face so it still wasn't visible.

Sakura had always supported the theory that Kakashi Hatake wore the mask because he was too good-looking for his own good, but she was beginning to think Naruto had a point, and he _was _deformed somehow.

He laughed, sitting down and patting the sand next to her, indicating that she should sit with him. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and she figured it would be setting soon. She shivered, as if anticipating the temperature drop, and Kakashi wound his arm around her shoulders.

"You looked cold," he said when Sakura sent him a questioning glance.

His arm _did _make her feel warmer, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the reason he thought it did. Sighing, she leaned into his chest a little and looked out at the water.

"You want to tell me what's on your mind?" Kakashi asked after a few minutes of silence. He wasn't looking at her—instead looking out across the ocean—but he hadn't moved his arm. If anything, he'd pulled her closer to him.

"A lot," Sakura said honestly. "There's a lot on my mind. But mainly Sasuke."

She wasn't sure, but she thought she felt Kakashi flinch.

"Not in the way you think," she said, suddenly feeling the need to reassure him. "I don't love him anymore. I still care about him, but just as a friend. But with everyone else coupling up back there I couldn't help but feel a bit left out, so I came out here."

Kakashi grinned, moving his arm to ruffle her hair, but when he was finished he placed it back around her shoulders instead of letting it drop to the ground. Sakura was grateful, even if she didn't really know why.

_Add it to my never-ending list of questions I have already. _

"It's hard," she mumbled, not really intending for Kakashi to hear her, but not caring if he did.

He sighed, and his arm dropped behind her, still supporting her back, as he thought of what to say.

"No one said anything in life was easy," he whispered, his voice like a ghost on the wind.

"I just have so many questions."

"We worry, we question, it's all the same. It's who we are. There's no right answer, Sakura."

She frowned, and Kakashi knew she'd been hoping for a different answer, but it was the one he couldn't give her. There were some things the pink-haired girl needed to figure out for herself.

"I guess you're right, Kakashi-sensei."

She sounded defeated, and too much like the old Sakura for his liking.

"If I could go back in time, and tell you one thing, you know what I'd say?"

Sakura laughed, not meeting his gaze. "Get over Sasuke and train harder?"

"No." Kakashi moved, and for a second Sakura thought she'd made him mad, but then he reappeared, crouched down in front of her so she had no choice but to meet his gaze. "Even though it was misplaced, your dedication to Sasuke was a strength. So you know what I would have told you?"

Sakura shook her head, unable to form words or tear her gaze away from his. He reached his hand out hesitantly, bringing it to her cheek and cupping her face.

"I'd tell you to turn your dedication into confidence."

His words held such raw honesty that Sakura felt tears springing to her eyes. He believed in her, and he had always been there for her, ever since she finished her training with Tsunade-sama, and suddenly she knew.

She was in love with him.

"Kakashi," she said, leaving off the 'sensei' and launching herself into his chest, hugging him tightly. This time, there was no hesitation as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. One arm wrapped securely around her waist, and the other cradled the back of her head as she buried her face in the crook of her neck.

"Sakura," he whispered softly into her hair, his fingers gently stroking her back.

They sat there, entwined together, on the sand for minutes without moving or speaking before Sakura slowly lifted her head.

"The sun," she murmured, as the last visible bit of the giant star lit up the sky in gorgeous hues of oranges and pinks. "It's beautiful."

"It is," Kakashi said, but he wasn't looking at the sun.

Sakura gasped, pointed excitedly. "Look!"

In the distance, two dolphins jumped, their arcing bodies black silhouettes against the setting sun. Kakashi smiled, pulling her closer to his chest as they watched the sun finally set and the sky fade to black.

"I think I'm in love with you," Sakura stated, leaning her head back so she could look up at the silver-haired man.

He smiled, removing his mask before bending down to close the distance between their two mouths with a kiss.

"I _know _I'm in love with you," he whispered into her ear, before kissing her again.

Sakura sighed. She had so many questions, but he seemed to be the answer. At least to the ones that really mattered.


	2. Long Hair

Long Hair

Sakura sighed, running a hand through her bubblegum-pink locks. She tucked a wayward strand behind her ear, temporarily wishing that it was long enough for her to pull back in a ponytail, but the notion disappeared from her mind as quickly as it had come.

Her long hair had been a symbol of a time she longed to forget. Her infatuation with Sasuke, her stupidity, her general lack of any skill as a shinobi. Kakashi had been right to think she was useless. She _had _been useless—way more interested in impressing Sasuke than in honing her skills. She didn't blame her old sensei for not being able to do much for her.

"What's with the long face?" the man in question asked, slipping into the booth across from her and raising an eyebrow questioningly.

He'd forgone his usual jonin attire that night—they _were _in the nicest restaurant in Konoha, after all—and wore a black button-down with the sleeves rolled to three-quarters, a green vest, and gray slacks. His forehead protector was gone as well, a thin black cloth covering his left eye in its place, letting his silvery hair fall even more into his face.

His mask was gone as well. The Copy Ninja still wore it with his uniform, but he'd become much more comfortable with showing his face after the war. Sakura had helped with that, he supposed.

Sakura brightened instantly when he showed up. Her smile grew even wider as she took in his appearance. He'd really been listening when she said she wanted to dress up for their anniversary dinner. It seemed he'd even been listening when Sakura said she was going to wear the lime green dress Naruto and Hinata had given her for her birthday, because the vest he was wearing matched her outfit perfectly.

They'd been dating for a year—Ino, Tenten, and Hinata had finally built Sakura's confidence up enough to get the pink-haired girl to ask him out six months after the war ended, telling her the two of them spent all their time together anyway—and it had been the best year of Sakura's life. Kakashi was everything she'd ever dreamed of and more. Thinking back on what she used to think was love, Sakura laughed. She hadn't even been close to realizing what real love was.

"You look amazing," Kakashi said, bringing her back to the present. She blushed, loving the way dimples formed in his cheeks whenever he gave her a genuine smile.

"You don't look half-bad yourself," she grinned.

"Is that the dress Naruto and Hinata gave you?"

Sakura nodded, looking down at the simple green dress she wore. It fit her perfectly, accenting her small waistline and chest before billowing out to just above her knees.

"It matches your eyes," Kakashi murmured, before a waitress came over to take their drink orders.

Sakura technically wasn't old enough to drink yet, but no one in Konoha really enforced the rule anyway. The Hokage had said if they were old enough to lose their lives in the last war, then they were old enough to drink in her opinion. Secretly, Sakura thought Tsunade-sama just wanted to impart the younger generation with her love of sake, but she never voiced that opinion out loud.

"So do you want to tell me what you were thinking about before I came in?" Kakashi asked, a worried expression on his face. "It wasn't because I was late, was it? You see, there was this black cat…"

"No, it wasn't that," Sakura said, waving off his explanation. "You aren't even late, really. I just got here early and claimed a table in case they ran out of room."

"So then what was it?"

"It's stupid."

"Nothing you have to say could be stupid."

Sakura gave him a look. Kakashi returned it.

"I work with Naruto everyday."

The pink-haired medic laughed. "Okay, fair enough. I was just thinking about my hair."

"Your hair?"

"My hair," she nodded.

"And your hair makes you upset because…?"

This conversation was out of his realm of knowledge. Kakashi had had one hairstyle his entire life, and that was the way he planned to keep it.

"I was just thinking maybe I'd grow it out again, but then I thought better of it. Long hair reminds me of Sasuke and my genin days, and both are things I'd like to forget."

"I liked your long hair. I could tell you styled it every day, even though it was impractical considering we were going to be training. Didn't I tell you?" he asked, when he saw the skeptical look on her face.

She snorted, almost spitting out her drink.

"Kakashi, do you even _remember _the only thing you ever told me about my hair?"

The Copy Ninja didn't look like he did, so Sakura decided to enlighten him.

"One day after training, after the boys left, when I was fussing with my hair you came up to me. You really don't remember what you said?"

The silver-haired jonin shook his head. He honestly didn't remember, but he guessed it probably wasn't good.

"You came up to me and you told me I should probably cut my hair, or at least wear it in a bun, so that an enemy couldn't use it to grab onto in a battle."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, I did like it," he shrugged, giving her the sheepish grin he knew she couldn't resist.

He wondered if he'd be pressing his luck, but Sakura seemed to be in a good enough mood that he decided to go ahead.

"You know, your enemy _did _end up using your hair to grab onto," he said, thinking of the Chuunin exams.

"Yeah," Sakura said flatly, tugging on her short strands, "and that's when I said goodbye to my long hair forever, and ended up with this mess."

"I liked your long hair, but I like your short hair too. I like you hair however _you _like it."

That was the right thing to say, it seemed, because after a moment of confusion, Sakura's face lit up and Kakashi knew he'd made her happy. He meant it too; he hadn't just said it to make her feel good. He liked his cherry blossom's hair any way she styled it. Because it was _her. _

"Thanks, Kakashi."

Sakura let his words sink in, and realized that just as she'd grown her hair long in her younger days because Sasuke liked it, she'd kept it short as she grew older because she knew it was what he _didn't _like.

In a way, it was like Sasuke was still holding onto one last bit of her.

"_I like your hair however you like it." _

Sakura smiled. She may have grown her hair out for Sasuke, and even cut it for him indirectly, but Kakashi had given her something much better.

* * *

Many people in the village thought Sakura Haruno started growing her hair out for Kakashi Hatake that day, but they were wrong.

Kakashi had given her something better than the ability to grow her hair out for someone other than Sasuke—the ability to grow it out for herself.

**~A/N: So I know this makes two prompts in a row where she's thinking about Sasuke, and normally I don't like to do that, but the first couple paragraphs of this story were originally going to be the start of yesterday's one shot, before I realized it would go much better for the 'long hair' prompt, and I was blanking on ideas for today, so I decided to go ahead and use them today. But don't worry, I won't make every story like this, I promise! **


	3. Summertime Blues

Summertime Blues

"Sakura."

No response.

"Sakura."

The pink-haired medic shifted slightly in her sleep, vaguely becoming aware of the fact that someone was calling her name.

"_Sakuraaaaaaa." _

She groaned, rolling over on her side, covering her ears.

"Get up."

"_Noooo." _

"Sakura, come on. Please?"

"No. Go away, Kakashi."

"I'm not Kakashi, I'm Naruto! Why would you think I'm Kakashi?"

Sakura sat up instantly, hugging the sheets to her chest.

"Naruto! What are you doing in my room?" she screamed, before realizing that it wasn't, in fact, the blonde jinchuriki crouching over her, but the white-haired Copy Ninja.

She glared, not too pleased about being woken up and tricked this early in the morning.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was grinning.

"Why'd you assume it was me and then freak out when you thought I was Naruto?"

"I assumed it was you because who else would be able to sneak into my room without waking me up? I freaked out when I thought it was Naruto because it would be creepy if he were sitting on my bed watching me sleep. I mean, it's still creepy that it's _you _sitting on my bed watching me sleep, but it would be weirder with Naruto because he had that huge crush on me, but now he has Hinata, and..." Sakura trailed off, realizing she was babbling again. Her nervous habit.

"Ah! This better be important, Kakashi. Today's like my one day off, so I _was _planning on enjoying it by sleeping in."

Kakashi shrugged. "I was bored."

"You were bored," Sakura deadpanned.

He nodded.

"You were _bored._"

"Um…yes?"

"You. Were. Bored?!"

"I believe I have said that already," Kakashi said, laughing hesitantly and scooting a little farther back on the bed. He didn't like the look Sakura was giving him. It was somewhere between angry and hysterical, and the silver-haired jonin knew those emotions were a dangerous mix for the girl in front of him.

"You broke into my apartment, snuck into my room, and woke me up, _on my day off, _because _you were bored?!" _she roared, lunging forward at him.

Kakashi easily dodged to the side, letting Sakura flop unceremoniously onto the bed. Her fist, he noted, landed exactly where he had just been sitting. Sakura sat up, glaring daggers at him.

"Um…Sakura?" Kakashi said, averting his eyes and pointing at her chest.

Sakura looked down to see that in her haste to attack him, she'd dropped the covers, and found, to her mortification, that her team leader had just seen her in nothing but her pajama top. Her very see-through pajama top.

"Eek!" she cried, flinging her arms across her chest and diving back to where she could safely pull the covers around her.

"Go away!" she squawked, kicking her leg out and dumping Kakashi off the bed. "I hate you! Get out of my room! _Shunaro_!"

Realizing it was time to leave if he didn't want a concussion, Kakashi ran for the door, shutting it safely behind him. He wandered over to her kitchen table, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. She hadn't told him to get out of her apartment, he noted, just her room.

He heard her rummaging around, accompanied by the sounds of muffled grumbling, and he thought maybe he _should_ apologize. It was her day off, after all, and he just wanted to spend time together and relax. They hadn't had a chance to hang out just the two of them since winter, it seemed, and now summer was nearly over.

He'd just wanted to spend a fun day with his best friend, and instead it seemed like all he'd done was piss her off.

"Sakura?" he said hesitantly, knocking softly on her door. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

He heard her sigh. "I'm not mad at you anymore, Kakashi. Just give me five minutes and I'll be ready."

While Sakura finished getting dressed, Kakashi went back to her kitchen and got the picnic basket he'd brought over out of her fridge. It was hot outside, but he didn't particularly feel like spending the day indoors, so he'd decided to take a trip to the lake not far from Konoha.

He planned on summoning the pack and letting them run around too once he got there. The lake was huge, and there would be plenty of room for them to run around and play. Plus, he'd decided that his dogs deserved a break. They rarely got to take a day off and relax. Which is what had reminded him of Sakura, and he'd decided to sneak over to her place and invite her along.

That wasn't the only reason, though. He'd missed her company. They'd grown close after the war, and he found himself wanting to spend more time with her.

"So you want to tell me why you snuck into my bedroom this morning?" Sakura asked, leaning in the doorway. She had changed into simple shorts and a tank top. Her pink hair was pulled up off her neck and into a small ponytail.

"I was going to take the dogs up to the lake and spend the day out there. I figured the water would feel good, because it's so hot. And since it's your day off, I thought you might want to come along."

Sakura looked him over, wondering if he had any ulterior motives. After all, it had been awhile since he'd sought out her company. Then her eyes landed on the basket sitting on the table.

"What's that?" she asked, nodding toward it.

"Oh. I brought food for, you know, a picnic," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous or embarrassed about something. Sakura found the habit adorable, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"A picnic? What is this, Kakashi? A date?" she asked with a sly grin.

Kakashi shrugged noncommittally. "Let's go."

"Alright!"

Sakura followed him happily, only realizing after she'd shut and locked the front door of her apartment that he hadn't actually answered her question.


	4. Confessions

Confessions

"You know," Sakura said, whenever Kakashi stopped trailing kisses down her neck, "we're going to have to tell people eventually."

"Mm," he hummed, burying his face into the crook of her shoulder. "What if I don't want to? What if I want to keep you all to myself?"

Sakura laughed, swatting his face away gently.

"Then that would make you a creepy, possessive, stalker-boyfriend," she teased, an amused glint in her emerald eyes.

"Ah, well we wouldn't want that," Kakashi said, his mismatched eyes shinning the same as hers.

Sakura grinned. Moments like this were exactly why she'd ended up falling for Kakashi Hatake. Most people thought he was somewhat stoic, or at least moderately reserved, but she'd found that the man was actually just a big tease, once you got to know him.

"No, we wouldn't. Then Naruto, Sasuke and Sai, and even Yamato-taicho would have to beat you up for being a jerk to me."

Kakashi grimaced. "You're reminding me of the very reason we decided not to be public about this in the first place."

"Oh, get over it," Sakura laughed. "They're not going to care, I'm just messing with you. Seriously, they're our _friends. _If they all really cared about us, then they'd just be happy that _we're _happy. Anyone who's not can get out of our lives, for all I care."

The silver-haired man sighed. What he would give to have Sakura's confidence. She seemed to think no one in the village would have a problem with their relationship, despite the fact that he was her team leader, former sensei, and fourteen years older. Still, they loved each other, she argued, and that made everything else null and void.

Kakashi smiled. Her optimism was contagious. It was easy to feel confident when he was around her.

"Alright. Let's go tell them."

* * *

"Remind me again why we're doing this," Kakashi grumbled as Sakura drug him along by the arm into the bar she'd told Ino, Naruto, and Sasuke to meet her at. Sai and Yamato were out on a mission, so they'd have to tell the two ANBU agents when they returned to the village.

"Oh, quit being such a baby, Kakashi," she said, gripping his arm tighter and pulling him along. "It'll be over before you know it."

"Great," he mumbled, but his feet continued to move, following Sakura to their destination.

"Hey guys, Ino-pig. What's up?" Sakura asked cheerily as she slid onto the stool beside her blonde former rival.

"Nothing yet," Ino sighed, "I was just trying to convince Sasuke here to go out on a date with me."

"No," the dark-haired shinobi grumbled.

"_I'll _go out on a date with you, Ino," Naruto said, sticking out his chest proudly.

"No way!" the blonde girl snapped.

"Aw," Naruto whined, temporarily deflated.

Sakura laughed. "It's just like when we were kids."

"So why'd you want to meet us here, forehead?" Ino asked. "And why's Kakashi-sensei with you."

"Well, um, you see…" Sakura started, tapping the tips of her index fingers together. She turned to look at Kakashi, who just looked back at her as if to say 'You're the one who wanted to tell the, so this is your mess, you get yourself out of it.'

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Naruto just looked confused at the way his two teammates were staring at each other, but Ino picked up on it right away.

"Oh my god. You guys are together!"

Kakashi and Sakura's eyes widened, neither of them expecting to be found out so easily. Were they really that obvious? If so, maybe the entire village already knew.

Naruto and Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't seem to get Ino's meaning.

"Well yeah, of course they're together. I mean, they just walked in here at the same time," Naruto pointed out, oblivious as usual.

"No, I mean, you guys are _together _together, aren't you?" Ino drawled.

"What like _dating_?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Yeah. We are," Sakura confirmed with a nervous laugh. "You guys are the first three we've told."

"Oh my god!" Ino squealed, smashing her friend in a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Sakura. You finally got a boyfriend. Ooh, and Kakashi-sensei no less. How long have you guys been together? Is he a good kisser? Oh! Have you guys, you know—"

"_INO!" _Sakura squeaked, her face turning as pink as her hair. Her three teammates, she noticed, were also sporting similar coloring.

"Oh, right, sorry. We'll save the girl talk for later then, eh forehead?"

"Yeah. Let's," the pink-haired medic deadpanned.

"Well, I can see that you've got _lots _to discuss with your teammates, so I'll just leave you two lovebirds to it. Bye, Kakashi-sensei," she said, winking at him.

Kakashi swallowed, deciding he never wanted to be a part of 'girl talk' for as long as he lived. From their expressions, he guessed Naruto and Sasuke felt the same way.

There were a few moments of awkward silence while the four original members of Team Seven tried to think of what to say. Sasuke was the first to recover.

"Sooooo… you replaced _me_ with the older, slightly less good-looking version of me?" He had one eyebrow cocked up skeptically, but there was a grin on his face.

Kakashi whacked him across the back of his head. "Kids today have no respect."

"That's not what you said last night," Sakura whispered seductively, causing Naruto to blush like Hinata.

"Hahaha! You should have seen the look on your face!" the pink-haired kunoichi laughed, pointing at the orange-clad blonde. "You look like you're about to barf."

"Sakura, there _is _such a thing as too much information," a slightly-blushing Sasuke grumbled, answering for his best friend because Naruto was too busy clasping his hands over his ears to block out his hearing.

Kakashi looked like he was starting to feel horribly awkward about the whole situation, and Sakura finally took pity on him.

"All right, we've told everyone, now we can go."

"Everyone?" Naruto asked, having finally uncovered his ears. "But you just said we were the first three to find out.

Sakura shrugged. "We told Ino, and if Ino knows, _everyone _knows. She's probably broadcasting it to everyone in Konoha now with her mind jutsu."

Strangely enough, that didn't seem to make Kakashi feel any better.


	5. Lament

Lament

She stood by the freshly dug mound of dirt, remaining stationary and silent long after the sun had set and the night air grew cold. She knew she should go back inside, or at least put on a jacket, but Sakura found herself rooted firmly in place, unable to move.

The tears hadn't stopped falling once since the burial had been completed. She knew she needed to get herself together—she was a kunoichi of the Leaf, after all—but Sakura couldn't stop the flood spilling out from her eyelids. Even though she cried silently now, she couldn't stop the sobs that racked her body either.

He had always been there for her. Whether it was after a mission, a long day at the hospital, or just an average day, he'd be there when she got home. It was a small comfort, and it seemed so ordinary at the time, but like most of the small things in life, Sakura didn't know what she'd had until it was gone.

She cried harder. How could he do that? How could he go and die, leaving her here? And at a time like this, no less. He had been such a constant in her life, and now he was gone.

Sakura breathed deeply, trying to control her overly emotional self.

_It's just the hormones,_ she told herself, resting a hand over her enlarged stomach absentmindedly.

She knew she should go inside. After all, she had the health of two people to look after now. Hers and that of her and Kakashi's baby.

"Sakura?" a voice called from inside the house. "You should come inside. It's getting cold."

Sakura took one last look at the grave, finding fresh tears stinging her eyes before she took another deep breath and turned back to the house. As soon as she stepped inside, she felt herself wrapped in a warm, strong embrace, and she rested her head against the man's chest.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said, reaching up to pat the top of her head comfortingly.

That only served to make the pink-haired girl cry harder, and he made a mental note not to talk about emotional things while she was like this. The pregnancy would be hard enough on her without the added emotional stress of a death. He sighed, picking her up in his arms and letting her cling to him as he made his way to the couch and sat down, Sakura still curled against him.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi whispered again, holding her tighter and resting his arm upon the bulge that would soon be his child.

"He was a really good goldfish."

* * *

**~A/N: I'm such a troll. I'm so sorry, but this idea of her fish dying popped into my head and I just couldn't help it. Ahahaha I'm such an evil person. Please forgive me. **

**Anyway, sorry this was so short, but there was really no way to drag it out any longer, and I never actually intended to kill off either Kakashi or Sakura. Which is kind of funny for me, since my friend always accuses me of killing off all my characters. Well, what can I say? I feel somewhat guilty killing off characters that aren't even mine to begin with…My characters though? Yeah, totally fair game to die. **

**Also, because this was so short, I'm hoping to have an update for Eyes on Fire later tonight. I'll give you a teaser—there's a battle and a reunion between some characters ;) **


	6. Butterfly Kisses

**~A/N: Sorry this one wasn't up earlier today. Even this morning I still had no idea what the heck to write for this prompt, and I was actually considering skipping today altogether, but then an idea came to me. Unfortunately, I was with family all day so I didn't get the chance to write it until tonight. But I've got tomorrow's finished already (it was actually the first one I wrote, last week) so expect a chapter sometime in the morning probably. Happy reading! **

Butterfly Kisses

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Naruto grumbled to his team leader, clearly unimpressed by the mission.

Kakashi sighed. "Because this is a trial run, Naruto. You know that. Our team and Tsunade may be willing to forgive Sasuke's past indiscretions, but the elders and the rest of the village won't be so forgiving right away. So until they see fit to trust Team Seven fully again, it's D and C-ranked missions for us."

"Well that's stupid!" the blonde exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "When I'm Hokage those good-for-nothing elders will be the first to go."

Kakashi chuckled. He didn't doubt it.

"Then who will you go to for help, hm? Unless you plan on doing everything by yourself?"

Big blue eyes looked up at him.

"I thought that was what _you _were for, Kaka-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled. The boy said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And to Naruto, it probably was, but Kakashi still needed to hear it. It made him feel happy. He knew he hadn't been the best teacher to them—something a part of him would always regret, at least a little—but even though they'd all left him to train under the legendary sannin, his students still found their way back to him eventually.

He was very much a part of their lives—and they were very much a part of his—but Kakashi was pretty sure they were afraid he'd just up and disappear on them one day. He'd join ANBU again, like Sai and Yamato, or take an extended solo mission and they wouldn't hear from him for a year.

But Kakashi knew he wasn't going anywhere. Those three brats had wormed their way into his heart, and he wasn't going to leave them. Besides, even though they were probably stronger than him now, he'd never forgive himself if something happened to one of them on a mission and he wasn't there.

What could he say? A part of him would always be their sensei who saw them as his idiotic twelve-year-old genin that he had to protect.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

His eye crinkled in its signature smile.

"Of course, Naruto. I'll always be there to help you. Well, until my old age catches up to me and I die, anyway."

"Don't say that, Kaka-sensei! You're not _that _old."

The silver-haired jonin laughed. "Alright Naruto. If you say so."

* * *

What's got Naruto so worked up?" Sakura asked, frowning at the blonde, who was talking animatedly in the front with Kakashi. She didn't realize the two had gotten so far ahead of Sasuke and herself.

"He's mad they're making us take such easy missions because of me," Sasuke said, tilting his head toward Sakura. "So when are you going to tell Kakashi you like him?"

Sakura's face turned as pink as her hair.

"Wha—what do you…I—I don't, I mean, how…?"

She stopped, knowing her indecisive babbling had given her away. Sasuke wasn't stupid.

The dark-haired boy smirked. "Please. It's not like you've ever been discrete with your affections."

He didn't think it was possible, but Sakura turned a shade pinker.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "You aren't nearly as obvious as you were with me. In fact, I doubt anyone else has noticed if they weren't looking for it. I'm just observant."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. At least no one else probably knew. Of course it had to be Sasuke, her former obsession, who found out about her new crush.

"Don't tell anyone, please?" she squeaked when she finally found her voice again. She thought she would die from secondhand embarrassment. She hadn't even told Ino.

"Relax, I have better things to do than gossip about your love life." Sasuke smirked. "Besides, you'd probably just take advantage of the fact that I can't fight back because no one in the village trusts me and pound me into the ground."

Sakura grinned back at him. "Ah, Sasuke. You know me so well."

"Hn. Let's go catch up with the others. And don't worry, I won't say a word."

* * *

"I can't believe we have to do this," Naruto whined, looking over at Sasuke. "You're lucky you're my best friend, Sasuke, or else I'd be pissed!"

"You _are _pissed," Sasuke pointed out unhelpfully.

"Well…" He faltered. "Well I'd be _more pissed_."

Kakashi laughed. "Articulate as always, Naruto."

"Thanks, sensei!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic, loser."

"Shut up, you—"

"Okay you two, that's enough," Kakashi said, reaching over to break the boys apart, just like he'd always done.

A smile came unbidden to his face as he realized that everything was going back to the way it had been. Maybe those false words he'd said to Sakura so long ago were going to come true after all. Wouldn't that be ironic?

"What's Sakura _doing_ anyway?" Naruto complained. "She's been in there _forever_!"

"She's getting the kid, moron. This is a babysitting job, remember?"

"I know that," the blonde jinchuriki pouted. "But why does it have to take so long. I'm ready to go."

Sasuke sighed. Sakura was taking a long time, though. What was she even doing?

Just when Kakashi was about to go in and check on her, the pink-haired girl came strolling out, two children in tow. All three male's eyes widened. _Two _kids? There was only supposed to be one!

"This just keeps getting better and better," Naruto mumbled, glaring over at Sasuke again.

Sasuke snorted. "Those idiot elders probably did this on purpose. I bet it was two kids all along, and they just didn't tell us."

Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his silver locks. "I really hate kids."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah. You told us the first time we met you."

Kakashi grinned. "No, if I remember correctly, I said I hated you three, not kids in general."

"Oh, because that makes it so much better," Sasuke griped.

Kakashi was spared having to come up with a response by Sakura's arrival.

"Hey guys! So I guess there was a little mix-up with the mission report." From the look on her face, Sakura had come to the same conclusion about the 'mix-up' as they had.

"Say hello to Nariko and Sanosuke. They're the twins that we're going to be watching for the day."

"Hello!" Naruto said, while Kakashi and Sasuke gave hesitant waves.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the boys, turning back to the twins. They looked to be about seven or eight, both with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. They were decidedly cute.

"So what do you two want to do today?" she asked.

"Train!" Sanosuke said, at the same time his sister said, "Go to the park!"

The two kids glared at each other.

"No! I don't wanna train!"

"Well I don't want to go to the park!"

"Well that's tough, because I do!"

"No one cares what you want!"

"I do!"

"No one besides you!"

"Alright, alright," Sakura said, holding up her hands. "There's four of us, so two people can take Sanosuke here to the training grounds and the other two can go with Nariko to the park."

"I'll go with Naruto to the training grounds," Sasuke said quickly.

"Aw, you're not still afraid of Sakura being in love with you, are you Sasuke? That's kind of mean," Naruto said, picking up on his friend's haste in speaking.

"No. I just decided I wanted to work with you. I'm sure Sakura doesn't mind," Sasuke said, with a sly glance in her direction. He knew she would be the only one to catch it.

Sakura was never going to make a move on Kakashi by herself, so Sasuke had decided to give her a little push.

Her response was to shoot him a quick glare when the others weren't looking, but Sasuke knew she would thank him for it someday. After all, that's what friends did, right? Give each other little nudges when they needed it?

"Okay, it looks like it's you and me, Sakura," Kakashi said, smiling. "I guess we're going to take a trip to the park."

"Yeah," she said, returning his smile. "I guess so."

* * *

The park was farther than Sakura expected, so Kakashi ended up having to carry Nariko so they could get there without tiring the girl out. Nariko, of course, had loved riding on Kakashi's back, and Sakura was afraid her poor team leader was going to be stuck playing with the girl all day. She laughed, wondering if Naruto and Sasuke were going through any of the same things that they were.

She settled down in the shade beneath a tree, leaning back against its trunk and watching the clouds. She could understand why Shikamaru had done this so much as a kid. It really was relaxing, especially if you were feeling lazy, which for him had been all the time.

"Whew."

Sakura turned to look over as an exhausted Kakashi sat down beside her.

"She all finished with you?" Sakura asked, amused by the fact that the great Copy Ninja had been serving as nothing more than a glorified horse for the past three hours.

"Hopefully. You know, there's a reason why I hate kids."

"But you're so good with them!" Sakura said, honestly surprised. She wouldn't have guessed it from the way he'd treated them when they'd first met, but Kakashi was surprisingly good with children. She found it hard to believe he didn't want little Kakashis of his own someday.

He snorted. "I don't know about that. I mean, look at how you three turned out."

Sakura gasped, faking hurt. "I am appalled at the thought of being lumped in with those two idiots."

Kakashi smiled. "That's true. I apologize. I never meant to insult you in such a way."

A smirk replaced her mock outrage. "You know, I see a strong correlation between the amount of time you spent training us and the weirder we got. Maybe you really are to blame."

"You think Sasuke is weirder than Naruto?"

"He left us to hang out with a snake man who only wanted him for his body when he got older. So yeah, I think he's weirder than Naruto."

Kakashi laughed, amused at how they could now joke about such things. "Point taken. Anyone who'd want to spend an extended amount of time with Orochimaru is certainly strange."

A silence fell on them as they came to a natural pause in their conversation, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Sakura found her eyes drifting shut and sleep soon overtook her. She wasn't aware of the fact that her head had lulled to the side or that the Copy Ninja had shifted his body slightly so she could rest more comfortably against his shoulder.

* * *

When Sakura awoke a few hours later, it was to the sound of a child's excited voice. Her eyelashes ghosted across Kakashi's shoulder as her emerald eyes flickered open.

"Look, Sakura! Look at me!"

Nariko was waving excitedly with one hand, and pointing to something on her face with the other. Sakura squinted, realizing there was a large butterfly sitting on the girls nose.

"That's amazing, Nariko. It must really like you!"

The brunette girl smiled. "It's giving me butterfly kisses!"

Sakura smiled as the girl turned back and went to go play with the other kids on the playground equipment. As Nariko ran away, she became aware of the fact that something was resting on top of her head.

Her eyes glanced upward and she realized that Kakashi was sleeping, leaning his head atop hers. Without thinking, she subconsciously moved away from him, but the silver-haired jonin mumbled something in his sleep that sounded suspiciously close to her name and wrapped his arm around her waist, preventing her from moving away from him. His actions opened up his chest, and Sakura found herself curling up into him and resting her head beneath his chin in the crook of his neck. Kakashi's arm encircled her tighter, hugging her to him before she felt him relax.

She'd never seen the Copy Ninja so at peace. She marveled at the sight for a few long seconds before she let sleep overcome her again. They were both going to need their energy if they were going to take care of the twins for an entire week.

_Maybe this mission won't be so bad after all, _she thought, as she fell into a dreamless slumber.

Miles away, at the town training grounds, Sasuke and Naruto were thinking exactly the opposite.


	7. Never Let Go

Never Let Go

She found him standing by the memorial, gazing emptily at it like he always used to. She knew which name he was staring at. Obito Uchiha. The one that had been crossed out.

He'd known that, of course. He'd been the one to suggest it.

"Kakashi?"

A small voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned around to see Sakura standing ten feet away from him, shivering against the cold. He frowned. She was supposed to be in the hospital. The war hadn't been over more than two weeks.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he asked, turning away from the stone memorial and walking toward her.

She shook her head, still fighting the cold. "I just got released."

Kakashi let out a sigh of relief, tugging off his flak jacket and draping it over Sakura. It didn't have sleeves, but the pink-haired girl was so tiny that it still engulfed her, giving her some much needed warmth. He rubbed her arms with his gloved hands, and Sakura looked up at him gratefully. Perhaps he wasn't mad at her after all.

Kakashi had been the only one who hadn't visited her in the hospital, even though he was the reason she was there, making a full recovery, and not in a body bag buried six feet under. She shuddered at the thought, which Kakashi mistook for her being cold.

"Do you want to go somewhere warmer?" he asked, his dark eye full of concern.

Sakura shook her head. "I'm fine."

"What are you thinking about?" Kakashi knew something was bothering her. She was chewing on her lower lip. It was a habit she'd picked up during her genin days dealing with Sasuke, and even though the dark-haired Uchiha had gone away, the quirk hadn't.

"The war," she said, after a brief hesitation. "And what happened."

* * *

It was during the war. She had been fighting side-by-side with Naruto and Sasuke when Obito had betrayed Madara and become the ten-tails jinchuriki of his own free will.

Not long after, Kakashi had managed to drag himself out of the Kamui-created dimension, bleeding, but alive. Any joy he'd had at seeing his former Team Seven reunited and fighting as one was squashed, however, when he saw Obito standing before them.

The man he'd known as a child, the Uchiha who had given him his Sharingan, his best friend. That was the man who looked at him now with a gaze that was definitely something less than human.

His eyes were wild, but Kakashi still hadn't been able to completely convince himself that his friend was gone for good. He'd still believed that there was some way Obito could be saved. Just like Sasuke, and Sasuke had come back to them.

But all of that changed when he saw Obito's unfocused eyes turn to Sakura, lingering as if he were trying to recognize her. Then he saw the jinchuriki's eyes widen as he whispered, "Rin."

With a speed that none of them could hope to match, Obito had moved behind Sakura, grabbing her wrists with one hand and wrapping the other across her mouth, muffling her cries and pulling her away from her teammates.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted, looking frantically after the pink-haired medic.

"Naruto!" she cried out, jerking her head free, but remaining unsuccessful in breaking free of the death grip Obito had on her wrists. Even her chakra-enhanced, inhuman strength wasn't enough to match the power of the ten-tails.

"Naruto! Sasuke!"

The pair lunged for her, but Obito pushed them back with the ten-tail's chakra. It was powerful to send even shinobi of their stature flying.

Kakashi watched, frozen in place, as Sakura's emerald eyes turned to his mismatched ones, filled with a fear that he never wanted to see in the eyes of anyone he cared about.

"Kakashi-sen—"

Sakura had tried to say his name, but before she could finish, she was whisked away, disappearing into the black abyss of the Kamui. Kakashi stared after them, unable to move as his mind tried to process what it had just seen.

Sakura was gone. Obito, thinking she was Rin, had taken her. And he hadn't been able to do a thing about it.

Something inside him snapped.

"Ino!" Kakashi barked, turning toward the blonde behind him. "Heal me now!"

"B-but," she stammered, clearly shaken up by her best friend's abduction.

"Don't argue. There's no time. I have his other eye. I can follow them."

His words were frantic, but Ino's mind finally registered what Kakashi was saying. His Sharingan and Obito's were connected, so he could follow him into the other dimension.

He was the only one who could save Sakura, but he couldn't do it if he was injured.

Ino's hands glowed green as she used what little chakra she had left to heal Kakashi's wounds. When she was finished, she slumped backwards, only to be caught by Choji.

"Thanks, Ino," Kakashi whispered, but before she had a chance to respond, he was gone, disappearing in the same manner as Obito had before him.

"Obito!" he roared as he appeared back inside the other dimension.

"Kakashi," someone gasped, and the silver-haired shinobi turned his gaze over to where the sound had come from.

Sakura was standing against a tree—Kakashi realized it was probably something grown out of White Zetsu—her hands bound to her sides by vines growing out of the tree to either side, so she wasn't able to break free.

"Sakura! Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, but Kakashi could see a dangerous-looking bruise forming across the side of her face. He should have known she wouldn't have gone along with Obito quietly. She was the Hokage's apprentice, after all.

"Kakashi! Behind you!"

He dodged, just in time to avoid one of Obito's attacks. It appeared to be nothing but raw chakra, but considering his ex-teammate was now in possession of the ten-tails, Kakashi knew he had to be careful.

"It was always you!" a crazed Obito spat, kicking Kakashi and launching him across the room. Kakashi coughed, blood trickling slightly out of his mouth, as he pulled himself up to see Obito standing next to Sakura, brandishing a kunai knife.

"I never was good enough for Rin, was I? I loved her, but she only saw you."

His eyes raged, and Kakashi saw that his former friend was losing the battle for control against the ten-tails. Obito grimaced, holding his head in his hands and shaking. Kakashi feared he would hit Sakura if he couldn't control himself.

"Stop it, Obito! That's not Rin. Rin's dead. I killed her, don't you remember? If you want revenge, then fight me. Leave Sakura alone!"

Obito looked confused, and Kakashi could have sworn he saw recognition flash across the man's face. The unruliness of the ten-tail's chakra that he'd felt earlier began to dissipate, and Kakashi realized that Obito was gaining control again.

"Obito?" he asked hesitantly, unsure if he was talking to the man or the tailed beast.

Obito turned and fixed him with a look that made his blood run cold.

"What's one more girl's death to you, hm, Kakashi?"

Then he smiled as he took the blade and plunged it straight into Sakura's stomach.

Kakashi was sure she cried out—in pain, surprise, or both—but he didn't hear it. He didn't hear anything, not even the sound of his Raikiri as he ran his hand through Obito's chest.

He watched as his former best friend's eyes turned to him in surprise as his life began to flow out of him.

"Oh," he whispered, his voice strangely light. "I guess you had it in you after all…"

Then he was gone, and Kakashi was rushing over to Sakura's side, breaking the restraints that bound her to the tree and cradling her in his arms, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Sakura? Sakura, can you hear me? You have to say with me. You have to heal yourself, Sakura."

His voice sounded far away to her ears, but enough of her must have been able to understand his urgency, because she managed to raise one hand and use her last bit of energy to stitch the surface of her skin together to stop the bleeding. She still had internal damage, but that would have to wait until they got back to the battlefield and found another medic—one with much higher chakra levels than she had at the moment.

Sakura felt the same sensation as when Obito had kidnapped her, and suddenly she realized Kakashi had transported them back to their dimension. He was screaming frantically for a medic, she realized.

"Sakura? Oh Kami, Sakura!"

Naruto's blurry face appeared beside her, and Sakura tried to smile. Sasuke's followed after that, and she felt herself being handed off to the blonde jinchuriki and the Uchiha.

"I need to find a medic," she heard Kakashi say. His voice and face were the last things she registered before she blacked out.

* * *

_She came to once, Shizune bending over her, yelling at Naruto to give her more of his chakra. It reminded her of the time he'd given Lady Chiyo some of his chakra to save Gaara's life. _

_She wondered if she was going to die._

* * *

_The next time she woke up, it was Sasuke hovered over her with Shizune. Now it was the Uchiha's chakra that was being pumped into her body. _

_Vaguely, she took in her surroundings, realizing Naruto was slumped over nearby. She wondered how much chakra he'd given her. He had to have already been running close to empty, even with the Kyuubi's extra power. _

_She realized that Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, and she wondered if he was out fighting. She hoped he wouldn't do anything reckless. She wouldn't be there to heal him if he did._

* * *

The next time Sakura awoke, she was in a hospital bed, Shizune and Tsunade looking tiredly down at her.

"Welcome back, kiddo," Tsunade said, smiling weakly at her. That was when Sakura realized just how close she'd come to dying. If it hadn't been for Kakashi…she didn't want to finish that thought.

"Thanks."

"She's awake! I want to see her! Let me in!"

Naruto's voice. He sounded anxious to see her.

"Idiot! She nearly died. You have to give her some space. You don't want to put too much strain on her."

Sasuke? Sakura couldn't be sure.

"The traitor's right, Naruto. It says in this book I read on human interaction that…"

Sakura laughed, then winced as she realized her stomach hadn't completely healed yet.

"Just let them in," she said, knowing even the great Tsunade-sama wouldn't be able to keep her unruly teammates away for long.

Tsunade nodded, opening the door. "You can come—"

Naruto had already barreled past her and was sitting on the stool by Sakura's side.

"I'm glad you're okay, Sakura."

"We all are, idiot," Sasuke said, his dark eyes sparkling with what Sakura thought was affection. The kind that you'd give your teammate, your friend, someone you considered an equal. Sakura realized that that was really all she'd wanted from him all along.

Sai and Yamato-taicho filed in after them, Yamato apologizing profusely to Tsunade for Naruto's behavior.

Ino came in not long after, wrapping her in a tight hug, only to pull away, thinking she'd wounded Sakura even more. The remaining members of the Konoha 12 came too, and many of the older shinobi Sakura had grown close to over the years. Everyone had come to see her, to make sure she was okay.

Everyone but one, and he was the one person she wanted to see the most, wanted to talk to the most.

Kakashi was nowhere to be found.

Sakura wondered if he blamed her.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, bringing herself back to the present and looking down.

Kakashi frowned. "For what?"

"It's my fault. If I hadn't been taken, you wouldn't have had to be the one to kill Obito."

The silver-haired jonin sighed, taking a seat against a tree and motioning for her to as well. Sakura sat hesitantly by his side. She wouldn't look at him, so he grabbed her arm, tugging her gently to his side so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder.

"Sakura, I don't ever want to hear you say that again, do you hear me? Obito was our enemy. He was evil, and had to be stopped. I don't blame you for that. How could you even think that?"

"I thought you were mad at me," Sakura said softly, looking up into his dark eye. "It seemed like you were avoiding me."

Kakashi shook his head and pulled her tighter in his arms, resting his chin atop her head. "No. I was mad at myself. For one awful moment, I thought I'd lost you, and it would have been my fault. If I'd just killed Obito sooner, he would never have had the chance to hurt you."

"If you weren't mad at me, then why didn't you come to see me in the hospital? Even Iruka-sensei came to visit."

"I needed time to think," Kakashi said. "And I needed to do that away from all the people I've let down."

"Hey. Look at me," she ordering, glaring up at him with a stern look in her eyes. "You may be lazy, constantly tardy, and Konoha's worst teacher, but if there is one thing you're not, it's unreliable. You've _never _let me down, Kakashi-sensei, and you never will."

"How can you be sure?" he asked, and Sakura was surprised to hear him sound vulnerable, like he needed reassurance.

"Because I know you," she said, sitting up and leaning her forehead against his.

Kakashi looked at her with a surprised expression on his face, and Sakura smiled. She made no move to pull away, and gradually the shock in his eye faded to something else.

"Sakura—"

"Shh," she said, silencing him with a kiss.

After getting over his initial surprise, Kakashi responded, breaking away only to pull down his mask before deepening the kiss and snaking one gloved hand into her hair, using the other to pull her even tighter to him, like he never wanted to let her go.

And he never did.

**~A/N: Yo! So it's been a fun week, and this totally got me writing things in genres that I normally wouldn't have, so I'm glad. I had a blast, and I hope you guys all enjoyed it too. Until next time! And if you're missing your KakaSaku fix, check out my chapter fic, Eyes on Fire, if you like a little action/romance mix with some Team Seven (all six of them) thrown in there! **

**Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you guys again! **

**~T**


End file.
